


Tracking an Akuma

by TheMiraculousOkapi



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Possession, Bad Puns, Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Ladybug Miraculous, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, POV Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, POV Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Plagg Is a Troll, Supportive Tikki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-05 11:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20487914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMiraculousOkapi/pseuds/TheMiraculousOkapi
Summary: After an akuma attack, Ladybug realizes that her school is ground zero for Hawkmoth's akumas, and this is a serious problem. Especially since she is 100% sure that Adrien will be the next victim. At the same time, Cat Noir comes to the same conclusions and is prepared to watch over Marinette.This story takes place early on in Season 2, somewhere between episode 2-4, if it matters.Updates Sundays.





	1. How Did We Miss That?

“Where did she go?”

“More importantly, where is Mr. Damocles?” Ladybug replied, not answering Cat Noir’s question.

Standing on top of the school, they searched for the latest akumatized victim, Final Grade, and her target, the school principal.

Students wandered the courtyard aimlessly, some staring in shocked disbelief at a paper in their hands, others crying pitifully in the corner. Final Grade had the power to “fail” anyone by stamping a big red “F” on their foreheads and throwing them into a dark, empty depression.

As far as akumas went, Ladybug felt this one was pretty tame, almost sad. More like a cry for help rather than someone who wanted to hurt anyone. That or Hawkmoth was losing his touch. Despite her school being the target—yet again—Ladybug didn’t know the identity of the villain. Whoever they were, Mr. Damocles ticked them off, so it really could be anyone in the student body.

“Attention, students. Please report to the auditorium. There is a surprise assembly,” a deep, shakey voice echoed through the PA system.

The zombie-like students shambled to the auditorium. Those who were lucky enough to escape the stamp followed skittishly, though some comforted friends in their forced funk.

A banshee-like wail came from the thick of the crowd, the source being Chloe. “This stamp is going to make me break out, I just know it. I’ll never be able to show my face in public! Boo hoo hoo.”

Ladybug bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing. At least the school’s drama queen wasn’t blaming others for her misfortune, for once. Which went to show just how deep Chloe’s depression was.

_Don’t worry, Chloe. Your perfect complexion will return. Too bad my Miraculous can’t do something about your attitude._

“They must be in the principal’s office with the microphone,” Cat Noir guessed, flipping off the roof with his extending pole.

Ladybug followed.

Busting into the principal’s office, the duo prepared to fight, but the room was empty.

“How did they leave so quickly?” Cat Noir asked, scratching his head.

“They weren’t here, at least not recently,” Ladybug explained, showing how the microphone button was taped to stay on and a cell phone lay next to it. “Final Grade could be anywhere.”

“Not anywhere,” a sultry voice called from the doorway. “Right behind you.”

The pair turned just in time to see Final Grade slam the door. Ladybug raced to open it, but it remained still no matter how she pulled. Looking at the knob, she saw a red “F”.

“Ugh, how could her powers affect inanimate objects?”

Cat Noir crouched near the door. “Is the door sad? Oh, you poor, poor door.” He rubbed it sympathetically.

“Cat Noir, use your Cataclysm,” Ladybug ordered. She worried about the students in the auditorium. Alya. Nino. Rose, Julika, and Adrien.

Oh, no. She couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Adrien with that horrible “F” on his forehead. Just thinking of him depressed made her depressed. If that happened, she would do anything within her powers to cheer him up. Her imagination went wild, thinking of the possibilities on how to make him smile again. Her cheeks warmed at a few; she waved them away. There was no time to daydream.

“I couldn’t destroy this door. It’s so sad,” Cat Noir protested, his voice walking the joking side.

“Just do it.”

“Wait a minute. If I use my Cataclysm now, I’ll change back, and you won’t have back-up for a few minutes,” Cat Noir explained. “Let’s find another way.”

“What other way?”

A black, clawed hand pointed to a vent near the ceiling. “That should take us right to the auditorium. We can sneak up on her, just like in the spy movies.”

Ladybug thought about crawling through the vents—the dirty, dusty, rat-invested, spider-clogged vents (Okay, maybe not rats, but she had heard of bats sometimes getting in there)—and grimaced.

“I don’t know. . .”

“Let’s try. For the sake of the door,” Cat Noir persuaded with a sappy expression.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Okay.”

“You first, My Lady,” he said, holding out his hands to give her a boost.

“Uh. . .perhaps you should go first,” Ladybug suggested. “After all, you can see better in the dark.”

“Good point.”

As Cat Noir squeezed in, Ladybug smiled to herself. _And you’ll crawl into all the spider webs before me_. She couldn’t think of anything more embarrassing than spazzing out in a vent.

To her surprise, the vents were fairly clean. No cobwebs or animal dropping, just some dust bunnies.

“Enjoying the view back there,” Cat Noir flirted.

Ladybug smirked as she shoved her partner’s shoe, nearly causing him to fall on his face. “The view has much to be desired.”

“But I’ve been working my tail off to look this good.”

“You need to work more on those jokes. They’re still not funny,” she bantered. “Hurry up. Who knows what Final Grade is doing with her hostage.”

“Relax. What is she going to do? Fail him?” Cat Noir asked sardonically. “This akuma is in the bag.”

Ladybug was about to say something about cats and bags but stopped since it would have been hypocritical of her after what she said moments ago.

Just then, she passed a small grate in the vents which viewed into the school auditorium. On stage, Final Grade had Mr. Damocles tied, supine, with an “F” stamp hovering above him; this one was fifty times larger than the hand one, enough to flatten the poor principal.

“You were saying,” Ladybug said when Cat Noir joined her.

“My fellow students, today wil be the end of Mr. Damocles’ reign of terror. No more will we have to put up with his insufferable rules and grading system,” Final Grade announced. “He will be failed, once and for all.”

Mr. Damocles didn’t struggle. He merely sobbed, “Just get it over with. I don’t care anymore.”

That didn’t sound like Mr. Damocles. Ladybug was sure a big, red “F” was stamped on his forehead although she couldn’t see it.

“I don’t think that stamp is for making him depressed,” Ladybug muttered.

“It’ll certainly make him de-pressed,” Cat Noir joked. When he saw his partner’s disapproval, his ears drooped shamefully. “Sorry. Bad timing.”

“This vent is too small. Is there an exit up ahead?” Ladybug asked, all business.

“There’s bound to be one backstage. We’ll get the drop on her there.”

“Hurry.”

Crawling as fast as they could, they found a larger vent. They could hear Final Grade still ranting about the “evils” of the school system.

“Down with the pedagogy!” Final Grade screeched, her hands raised to put an end to Mr. Damocles.

Fearful they were too late, Ladybug pushed Cat Noir out the vent, hoping he would land on his feet as she threw her yo-yo over the stage lights and down to wrap around the handle of the giant stamp. As the stamp lowered like a guillotine, it pulled the spotted superhero out of the vent. With her weight behind the crude pulley, it stopped centimeters above the principal’s nose.

“Ladybug!”

_So much for the element of surprise, _Ladybug grumbled to herself.

“Give me your Miraculous, and I’ll let him go,” Final Grade bargained, smiling wickedly.

“Never.” Ladybug’s feet slipped on the waxed, wooden stage, the giant stamp fighting her yo-yo. She couldn’t hold it forever. “Cat Noir, destroy the stamp.”

“On it.” Cat Noir summoned his Miraculous’ power, his glove glowing.

As he rushed the object, Final Grade moved quickly, slipping in front of him and slamming her stamp onto his forehead.

“Cat Noir!”

Immediately, Cat Noir skidded to a halt, his body slumped and defeated. “I’m a horrible superhero. All I do is destroy,” he moaned.

“Looks like you’re failing, Ladybug,” Final Grade sneered. “Why don’t you give in and give up your Miraculous? Better to give up than to fail.”

Gritting her teeth, Ladybug pulled harder on the yo-yo, barely lifting the stamp. “Nothing in this world will make me give up.”

“Oh, I’m sure the weight of failure will change that,” the villainess scoffed, sauntering toward the heroin with stamp raised.

Frantic, Ladybug had a plan, but it would only work if she could lift the giant stamp a little more. As if aware of her thoughts, the yo-yo retracted the string, hefting the weight bit by bit. With enough leeway, she jumped back, swinging underneath the stamp and slamming into Mr. Damocles. Both of them slid out of the way just as the rubber seal pounded the stage, cracking several boards.

Final Grade growled at her failed attempt. “You may have saved one life, but you can’t be everywhere.” With a gesture, the large stamp shot toward the next victim: Cat Noir. “Let’s see if Kitty has nine lives.”

With Cat Noir under the influence of the akuma’s power, he wouldn’t react to save himself. Racing their doom, Ladybug leaped to his side and grabbed his hand, raising it. Just as the stamp came crashing onto their heads, the Cataclym destroyed it.

“Oh, Ladybug is holding my hand. I should be excited, but it probably means nothing,” Cat Noir groaned.

Stupid akuma. Ladybug preferred Cat Noir as he was, bad jokes and all.

Then she heard the familiar beeping noise of a Miraculous loosing energy.

“Oh, no. I’m going to change back soon,” Cat Noir sighed. “Then Ladybug and everyone will see my identity. I’m such a loser.”

Ladybug vanquished a desire to slap him with the hopes of breaking the spell. Just like in the American movies. _Snap out of it, Cat Noir._

“Time for my ace,” she said, tossing her yo-yo for her Lucky Charm. A skateboard dropped into her hands. “Oh, come on. Give me something easy,” she shouted, not seeing anything that could help her.

“Yes, Hawkmoth. It’ll only be a matter of time to get Cat Noir’s ring,” Final Grade said to the always absent villain. “I won’t fail you.”

Knowing she had to keep out of reach from the mind-altering stamp, Ladybug backed away, only to trip over the prone body of Cat Noir.

“No, no, no.” Ladybug panicked, unable to untangle herself from her mopey partner.

“It’s time to be graded on your performance,” Final Grade laughed, reaching out with her stamp.

Rolling onto her stomach, Ladybug saw just how she could use the skateboard. She simply rolled it toward Final Grade, who stepped on it, lost her balance and plopped onto her butt. The stamp bounced out of her grip.

Half-crawling, half-trying-to-stand-up, Ladybug snatched the stamp and broke it apart. “Not what I expected, but it worked,” she said with relief before capturing the darkened butterfly and cleansing it. As the now white insect flew away, she released her Lucky Charm to repair the damage.

Cat Noir sat up, stiff as a board, looking like a cat that had been abruptly woken from a nap. “Am I crying?” he asked, looking uncertain and offended.

“Like a baby,” Ladybug teased. She sighed with relief. It was good to have him back.

“Not cool. Yet, I feel so cleansed,” Cat Noir said with surprise. “I don’t remember anything after being stamped. What happened?”

“I’ll tell you later. You’re about to be unmasked.”

With a salute, Cat Noir streaked out of the auditorium, his belt waving a hasty good-bye.

“What’s going on here?”

The girl who used to be Final Grade sat on the stage, looking around, aghast. And no wonder; the whole school’s attention was on her, including Mr. Damocles.

Ladybug recognized the girl as an upper classman who was preparing for college. In fact, she was the student body secretary, the president of several school clubs, and participated in many service projects and after school activities. She had perfect grades, perfect attendance, and a perfect college application.

And if the gossip was true, she had been accused of cheating on the le Bac, which meant an immediate suspension as well as an investigation. However, when hearing the news, Marinette hadn’t believed it.

“I’m afraid you were akumatized, but everyone is okay,” Ladybug explained, helping the girl up.

“Oh, of all the days for it to happen…,” the girl moaned. “This has been the worst day ever. I don’t know if I can…I can break the news to my mother.”

The beeping in her ear was like a clock ticking, but she couldn’t leave just yet. She wasn’t a hero only during an akuma attack.

“Mr. Damocles, sir, this young lady seems to be having a bad day. Could you enlighten me?” she asked, pretending to know nothing.

“I’ll say,” the principal said, frowning. “We may tolerate a lot during an akuma attack, but the school has a no cheating policy.”

The girl’s eyes rained, sobs bubbling.

“I don’t condone cheating either, but perhaps you could review the evidence against her one more time?” Ladybug requested. “After all, she doesn’t seem the type.”

A boy, another upper classmen, came forward, his head down. “It was me, Mr. Damocles. I was cheating on the SATs.”

“What?” the principal shouted.

“I was afraid of getting caught, so I slipped the test I bought online into Lulu’s bag.” The boy turned to the girl. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think they’d look through your bag.”

"How could you, Leo? I thought you were my friend," Lulu shouted, looking hurt and angry.

Leo hung his head in shame. "I just wanted to get a good score. You know how much pressure my parents are putting on me to get into a good college. I shouldn't have done it or put the cheat sheet in your bag. I'm sorry."

Lulu looked angry enough to be akumatized all over again, but Ladybug stepped in. 

"Leo, what you did _was_ wrong, and you should do what you can to rectify your mistake," she told the boy gently. Then she turned to the girl. "Are you willing to throw away a friendship for one mistake? He did come forward even with what is at stake. He's taking responsibility for his actions." 

Lulu nodded. "I don't want to throw our friendship away, but I'm willing to work things out. I just will need some time." 

With the problem resolved, Ladybug ran off, unable to stay any longer to see what else would happen. More than likely, she’d hear about it through the grape vine.

Dodging into the restroom, she cupped Tikki as the Kwami collapsed.

“Great job, Marinette.”

“Great that I barely made it out by the skin of my teeth,” Marinette joked. “Now to pretend that I’ve been crying my eyes out this entire time.”

After popping the Kwami into her purse, she rubbed her eyes and sprinkled water on her face. Exiting, she nearly ran into Alya.

“There ya are, girl. You missed everything,” the upbeat girl declared. “But that’s okay. I didn’t get stamped so I was able to record everything for the Ladyblog. It was so awesome.”

Marinette gave a pseudo-sniff.

“Get to class everyone. The akuma threat is over,” a teacher called over the crowds, ushering the loiterers.

“What’s the point? The day’s almost over,” Alya protested with a roll of her eyes. “They might as well cancel the rest of the week with how many akuma attacks we’ve had. It’s almost as if Hawkmoth is targeting the students.”

Alya’s words made Marinette rock back. “Targeting the students?”

“Yeah, it’s so obvious. Hey, maybe Hawkmoth goes to school here. I mean, in that projection, he sounded old, but that could’ve been faked. Anyway, tons of students have been akumatized, more than half of them are from this school or related to the students. That can’t be a coincidence.”

A shiver ran through Marinette’s spine. Was this true? Was her school Hawkmoth’s hunting grounds?

***

Marinette stared at her tablet where she composed a list. Alya was right; almost all the people had a connection to the school. How did she not see it before?

“What does this mean?” Marinette asked Tikki, hoping for guidance.

“Beats me,” Tikki answered, shrugging. “It could mean a lot of things. Maybe Hawkmoth can find more unsettled souls at your school.”

“I guess emotions can run rather high. I just wished there was some sort of pattern. If there was, we could find Hawkmoth.”

“Or his next victim.”

“I’d rather find Hawkmoth so there aren’t any more victims. But it’s a start.”

She went over the list again, looking for patterns. First, she crossed off all names that weren’t associated with the school, then of parents or siblings of the students. Then teachers. After that, she read the list, realizing that most of her class had been akumatized at one time.

“Why is he targeting my class? Where’s the connection?”

“It might be a coincidence. At this point in the investigation, a wrong guess could be harmful.”

Marinette tossed her tablet pen onto the desk. “Then this list is useless.”

“Wait. Is there anyone in your class that hasn’t been akumatized?”

With renewed purpose, Marinette glanced over the list again.

“Adrien!” she gasped. “Oh, no. He could be Hawkmoth’s next target.” A mixture of emotions coursed through her. Fear for the blond angel that graced her class. Horror at the thought of him being consumed by the dark butterfly’s power. Anger that Hawkmoth could stoop so low as to hurt the love of her life.

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, grateful she hadn’t spoken any of this out loud. Although, by Tikki’s expression, she might as well have.

“I’m not going to let Adrien be akumatized,” Marinette shouted, slamming her hand on the desk so hard, Tikki tumbled through the air. “Not on my watch.”

“If Adrien is the next target, you can keep an eye out for an akuma. If you know which direction it’s coming from, you’ll get a better idea where. . .what are you doing?”

Marinette hadn’t been listening, instead had stuffed a duffle-bag full of items. “I’m planning a stakeout, of course. Adrien is unprotected right now. I need to be there for him. I hope I’m not too late.”

“But he could be anywhere with his after-school activities and modeling. . .Oh, right. Look who I’m talking to,” Tikki teased.

Marinette gave a fake laugh. “No one in the world is more prepared than I to protect Adrien.”

“Or stalk him.”

“Laugh all you want. This little bug doesn’t care.” She tossed the duffle-bag out the ceiling window. “Oh, I should probably give Cat Noir a call. He should know this information.”

“And that you’re stalking Adrien,” Tikki giggled.

“I’m not stalking him,” Marinette grumbled. “I’ll just tell Cat about the connection with my school. He’ll make the connection as well, and that’ll mean Adrien will have two bodyguards.”

“Uh. . .I don’t know if Cat Noir will come to the same conclusion,” Tikki commented.

“Give him more credit than that,” Marinette insisted. “Tikki, spots on.”

As the Kwami merged with the earrings, she wondered if Marinette would recall that there were actually two people in her class that hadn’t been akumatized. She forgot to count herself.

***

That night, Cat Noir climbed through the tall window in the dark. Once he released Plagg and stood as Adrien, he turned on the lights.

Much like his animal alter-ego, he liked to roam the streets at night. For one, it gave him a chance to think, get away from the stress of being Adrien Agreste, his father’s son, and the model. For another, he could release a lot of pent-up energy either by running and jumping all over buildings in an adrenaline rush or stopping the occasional house or car break-in.

At the end of each romp, he’d check his messages from Ladybug.

Plagg hated the late night patrols. He complained how the Miraculous wasn’t made to be a simple watch-guard. More likely, the Kwami wanted to spend his evenings eating and lounging.

This night, Adrien returned with a bombshell from Ladybug.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see the connection between akumas and my school.” He sank onto the couch, grabbing a notebook and pen.

Plagg tumbled onto Adrien’s head. “I’m so weak. Weak with hunger.”

Adrien brushed him away. “You’re fine. I didn’t even use my Cataclysm.”

“I’m still drained. I need food. Stinky, stinky food,” Plagg pleaded.

“Fine.” Adrien retrieved a chunk of cheese only to shut his companion up.

As Plagg devoured the Camembert with embarrassing moans and smacking, Adrien wrote up the list. He saw the pattern right away.

“My class? My whole class has been akumatized.” He glared at the page as if the paper were at fault. He counted the names, realizing two were missing. His own, of course. And…

“Marinette.” The half-Chinese girl’s face flashed in his thoughts. “It’s hard to imagine Marinette ever becoming akumatized. She’s too…helpful and cheerful and nice.”

“And your other classmates aren’t?” Plagged asked, shoving the last bite into his mouth even though his stomach looked like it would burst.

“Sure, but everyone has their bad days,” Adrien replied. “Even my father…”

“So, what are you going to do about it? The easy way would be to make this girl have such a bad day, Hawkmoth would definitely target her. Then you could find Hawkmoth.” Plagg rolled onto his back, patting his tummy in ecstasy.

“That’s horrible. I couldn’t do that to Marinette.” Adrien frowned at the Kwami. Sometimes Plagg could be so obtuse.

Even though they had only met that school year, Adrien already saw so much in Marinette that he admired. Her creativity, her courage to stand up for others, how she’s always there for her friends. Even showing compassion for Chloe.

If she was next on Hawkmoth’s radar, he couldn’t let her down.

“I guess there’s no other solution,” Adrien said with resolve. “I’ll just have to follow her everywhere she goes.”

Plagg roared with laughter. “Yeah, good luck with that. You’ll be totally discreet with your fans following.”

(Author's Notes: Just to let anyone who reads this know: I watch the show in English, ((don't hurt me)) I don't mind it, ((Not in the face!)) and I know almost nothing about Paris and the French except the questions I have recently asked Google. Heck, I'm not even sure if I should capitalize akuma and Kwami, so you can tell I'm a bit of a noob in this fandom. However, I'm not above getting constructive criticism if you are willing to point out anything I should know about the show, France or general writing, I would love for you to mention it in the comments. Please be considerate. I have seen nothing of Season 3 and beyond, and I don't like spoilers. . .

Oh, and I probably will never spell Cat Noir with an "h". For you die-hard fans, please realize that my brain has been conditioned to read Chat as a way of talking and not a highly flexible, mammal within the classification of Feline.

Thank you, and I hope to see you in the next chapter.)


	2. Sounds Like Stalking To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place early in the second season, after episode 1, but not too far into the season.

Tikki dozed fitfully inside Marinette’s bag, trying to ignore the jostling. After a night watching over Adrien’s mansion, she had hoped to catch up on her rest during the day. Not happening the way the human girl moved.  


“Marinette, I’m sure that Adrien won’t be akumatized at five o’clock in the morning.” The Kwami yawned.  


“We don’t know that. Maybe Adrien had a fight with his father, and he tossed and turned all night, fretting over things. That would leave him vulnerable to Hawkmoth’s influence,” Marinette agonized as she peered through the white gates of the Agreste manor.  


“Or he could be sleeping peacefully in a warm, comfy bed,” Tikki said enviously. “It’s not like he has something scheduled this early.”  


“Not normally.” Marinette pulled out her special notebook with a smaller copy of Adrien’s schedule. “He usually leaves for school at seven. After school, he has piano lessons, then a photoshoot at his father’s studio. And tomorrow he has a meeting with his agent, then a charity event. Oh, and he has a TV interview on Friday. I’ll have to remind Mom to record it. And…”  


“How do you get this information?” Tikki asked, smirking.  


“Well…since Alya is dating Nino, she’s been my own personal spy.” Marinette winked and giggled.  


“Including where he’ll be at all times. I guess you’re all—“  


Tikki was interrupted by the sound of the gates opening. As the Kwami hid, Marinette jumped out of the way, pressing her back against the fence so not to be seen.  


The limo glided out of the gates, tinted windows reflecting the streetlights. To Marinette’s surprise, it was Adrien’s bodyguard driving, who didn’t give her a second glance. Butterflies knocked around in her stomach as she hoped Adrien wouldn’t spot her.  


The limo didn’t go more than five meters when it stopped. The window lowered with the humming of a motor.  


“Marinette?”  


The voice made her feel light-headed. When green eyes found hers, she could feel her legs melting. She relished his attention, but at the same time, wanted to disappear.  


“I didn’t think anyone else would be up at this hour,” Adrien said as he poked his head out of the idling car.  


“What hour? Oh. . .yeah, I didn’t think so either,” she stuttered.  


“Are you heading somewhere? It’s still dark. We can give you a ride,” he offered.  


“Oh, I can’t. I’m…um…jogging. Yeah, I’m jogging.” Marinette ran in place, puffing to demonstrate the authenticity of her words, and thus, rationalizing her being in front of his home, even though she wasn’t dressed for such an activity.  


Not skipping a beat, Adrien smiled. “Wow, you’re so dedicated to your health to exercise so early. I’m on my way to piano lessons.”  


“Piano lessons?” Marinette repeated, feeling her lips go numb. “Now?”  


“Yeah. Normally, I take them in the afternoon, but I had to change my schedule and this was the only time my teacher had free.” Adrien shrugged.  


“You changed your schedule?” Marinette clutched her bag, her smile and grip tightening at the same time.  


Adrien rubbed the back of his head, which was an adorable habit. “Lately, with school and modeling, I wanted to have some free time to just…wander around. So, maybe I’ll run into you sometime? Maybe at the mall?”  


The strain of having her plans falling apart disappeared. Did he just ask her to hang out? She tried to reply, but her mouth wouldn’t function. All she could do was nod.  


“I’ll see you at school. Have fun.” He waved as the limo drove off.  


Marinette waited for the vehicle to round a bend before squealing, still squeezing her bag.  


“Marinette!” Tikki squeaked, attempting to escape the vice-like grip.  


“Did you hear that? He wants to hang out,” the teenager sighed, hearts in her eyes.  


Tikki pursed her lips. “That’s not what I heard.”  


“It was between the lines,” Marinette insisted.  


Tikki smiled and shook her head. “You forgot why we’re out here so early.”  


“Oh, right,” the teenager said sheepishly. She exhaled heavily. “With Adrien’s schedule changed, my plans are all popped.”  


“So, what are we going to do?”  


“Follow him. I need to bug out.”

***

Adrien dropped his head into his hands. Last night, he had called his piano instructor to request moving his lessons to a different time. Although irritated by the lateness of the call, she was willing. The downside was that she only had the one spot early in the morning. Knowing beggars couldn’t be chooser, Adrien took the slot with false cheer.  


And all that for nothing. His goal was to change his schedule and be available to watch over Marinette. He didn’t pin her as an early riser, much less a jogger. From the way she was always racing into the classroom tardy, he thought she slept in every day. Guess he learned something new about her.  


“Looks like I woke us at the break of dawn for nothing.”  


Expecting some snark comment or a quip, he waited in silence. But the only noise that came from his shirt pocket were cat-like snores.  


“I guess I’ll have to berate myself,” Adrien said, stifling a yawn. “I just hope that Marinette is free this afternoon so I didn’t cancel all my schedule for nothing.”

***

Ladybug followed the limo from the rooftops through the busy streets of downtown to a neighborhood of nice, large, but old, homes. It looked like the perfect place for Adrien to learn to play the piano.  


Keeping to the trees, she waited until Adrien was inside before investigating the two-story house. She checked the parameter for Hawkmoth’s insects of doom before making herself comfortable on the branch of a tree. To her delight, the teacher opened a window just as the lessons began, and music floated on the air like cotton seeds. Shutting her eyes, Ladybug took in Adrien’s music.  


Even since she learned the young man played the piano, Marinette tried to listen to some classical here and there, but she would rather hear Adrien play himself instead of the professionals on YouTube. Through Alya (via Nino) she learned that the blond teen’s recitals were only private events due to a wave of fans causing a disturbance inside the music hall. Mr. Agrete allowed invited guests in, which Chloe had bragged about being one such member.  


Ladybug smiled smugly; what would Chloe’s reaction be if she found out about Marinette getting a private performance all to herself?  


Despite her new interest in classical music, Ladybug did not recognize the first three pieces, but the fourth she did. She couldn’t recall the name, but it was composed by Schumann. She had decided Schumann’s works were some of her favorites. They were passionate and lively as well as sensitive and romantic. Diving deeper into the classics, she read a short biography on Schumann and found out that some of his works were inspired by love.  


In the biography, it told the story of how Schumann met his would-be wife and how her father kept them apart. The particular piece that Adrien played was the song Schumann wrote for his wife for their wedding. Marinette had played it several times, finding it so stirring that she designed the perfect dress, a wedding dress. She had never created one before and decided that if—no, when—she would get married, she would wear that dress.  


However, the notes Adrien played didn’t sound loving or romantic, but sad. Ladybug turned to the window, able to see part of Adrien’s face. She hadn’t imagined those feelings from the music; he did look sad.  


Why did a love song evoke sorrow?  


The piece was short, only a few minutes. During other songs, the instructor had given Adrien firm comments on how to improve his playing, but this one she merely squeezed his shoulder before the next song began.  


As the notes of Beethoven filled the air, Ladybug contemplated Adrien’s mood. But with nothing to do, her mind drifted to other things. Relaxing against the tree trunk, she wished she had her sketchbook. While Beethoven was no Jagged Stone—her preferred music for creative thinking—she might be encouraged to create anything with Adrien playing. Just as she was using her mind to form some interesting boots, her eyes fluttered a few time before falling asleep.

***

After his hour lesson, Adrien returned to the limo only to find the Gorilla snoozing. This wasn’t unusual; his piano playing often sent the large man into a coma. It wasn’t professional, and if his father found out, the Gorilla would be fired. Adrien didn’t want that to happen; breaking in a new bodyguard could be annoying and embarrassing. However, it was a relief to find that the Gorilla was human.  


As Adrien was about to wake up his bodyguard, a flash of red in the trees caught his eye. Thinking it was a bird or something caught in the branches, he almost turned away. But the red was in the shape of a human hand. A jolt of adrenaline hit his bloodstream, thinking it was dangerous, but at a closer look, he saw the spots among the red.  


“No way,” he breathed, dropping his bag and approaching for a closer look. As quietly as he could, he climbed. He wasn’t as agile or strong as if merged with Plagg, but it wasn’t hard to scale up the tree.  


There she was, sleeping just as deeply as the Gorilla, but way cuter. Ladybug was propped against the trunk in an uncomfortable-looking position, yet she slept.  
Adrien wasn’t surprised by her appearance; after the message she left last night, she must have determined he would be Hawkmoth’s next victim. If only he could tell her that he could never be akumatized. Their relationship, even if it went no further than friends, meant the world to him.  


He gazed at her, seeing a different perspective of his Lady. Vulnerable. Peaceful. Not the avenging angel that he usually saw. His heart sped up as his eyes wandered to her lips. He gulped, thinking of kissing her. He wanted to so much.  


Could he?  


Softly, he brushed away a few strands of her bangs, his fingertips tingling at the softness. He waited for her to awaken at his touch, but she didn’t stir. Perhaps she wouldn’t notice his lips touching hers.  


Suddenly, his father’s voice popped into his head, snippets of speeches throughout the years.  


_Nice guys finish last.  
_

_Seize your moment.  
_

_Take what you want.  
_

No, those weren’t direct quotes, but they were what his father meant. It was the ruthless advice of a businessman in a competitive field.  


But this wasn’t business. That wasn’t what Adrien was.  


Cheeks burning, he pulled away, feeling ashamed. What would Ladybug think of him? How could he take advantage of her like that? No, if they were to kiss, it would be because she wanted to kiss him, too.  


Before climbing back down, he placed two fingers to his lips then touched her cheek. A chaste show of affection. “Sleep well, My Lady,” he whispered.  


With his heart still filled with Ladybug’s presence, Adrien felt lighter, brighter. Perhaps it was also because Ladybug would have her eyes on him. She would be close. He relished this feeling before reaching into the driver’s window and tapping on the car horn.  


A burst of noxious noise caused the Gorilla to lurch violently enough to rock the limo. In the direction of the tree, Adrien heard a squawk of indignation of a girl being jolted awake.  


The Gorilla glared at him.  


Adrien couldn’t help smiling, both at the Gorilla and Ladybug’s reactions to his practical joke. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. School is awaiting us,” he told the bodyguard before hopping into the back seat.  


As they drove off, Adrien kept his eyes on the sky just so he could see a slim figure shoot out of the tree.  


“See you later, My Lady.”


	3. The Highs and the Lows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette continues to "protect" Adrien, and Adrien continues to protect Marinette.

For once, Marinette wasn’t late for school; in fact, she was early. Not being limited by roads, she even beat Adrien in his limo. It was odd to sit in class and watch everyone find their seats instead of the other way around. 

And Adrien must have been in a good mood. He gave her the biggest smile when he entered, chatting with her, Nino, and Alya. It gave her a bigger energy boost than an expresso. 

Throughout their morning classes, she could only listen to the lessons with half an ear, the rest of her attention on the blond in front of her. At one point, she doodled music notes on her paper. 

“Are you humming?” 

Alya’s whisper broke through Marinette’s daydreams where the teacher’s voice couldn’t. 

“What? Was I?” 

Alya giggled. “Yeah. Some sort of classical tune.” 

It had been the Schumann score, the wedding song. Marinette blushed, hoping that Adrien couldn’t hear. If she was tongue-tied around Adrien before, how could she manage to vocalize a believable excuse that didn’t sound creepy? 

Luckily, Adrien didn’t seem to notice as he was concentrating too much on the teacher’s lecture. 

When the bell rang for lunch break, Marinette intended not to go home—maybe eat a sandwich on the go from a deli—to shadow the dark limo back to the Agreste manner. However, fate had different plans. 

“Marinette, would you like a ride home?” 

“What? Oh, you mean…in the limo?” she sputtered, surprised at Adrien’s casual offer. 

“Yes, in the limo,” Adrien said without the slightest tone of joking. 

Marinette’s cheeks burned at the attention. “Of limo, in the course. I mean, of course, in the limo. I just meant, you don’t have to. My house is kind of out of your way.” 

_Why am I making excuses?_ she shouted to herself. _Just accept the ride._

“Actually, I wanted to buy some macaroons at your family’s bakery, so it’s not an inconvenience,” Adrien explained. He opened the door to the limo, invitingly. 

Marinette’s heart bounced. Not only would this be a more opportune way of guarding her classmate, but it would also mean they could talk alone. 

Alone. 

With Adrien. 

Her face froze. “She’d love a ride.” Without premise, Alya pushed Marinette inside the limo, giving her friend an encouraging wink. 

Marinette grinned thankfully, sliding across the plush seat to make room for Adrien, watching Alya give her a thumbs up before the door closed, sealing them off from the rest of the world. 

Sitting stiffly, Marinette planted hands on knees, eyes locked forward. 

“So, what do you usually do after school?” 

She tried to turn toward Adrien to answer his question, but her neck wouldn’t function. “Huh?” 

“Well, I assume you don’t jog before _and _after school,” Adrien said with a chuckle. 

Marinette laughed, too, but it sounded loud. 

“Loosen up. You look like a ventriloquist dummy,” Tikki’s voice whispered from her hiding place. 

Marinette forced her muscles to relax, finally turning her head to face Adrien. “Well, usually I go home, do my homework and help my parents in the bakery. After that, Alya and I sometimes hang out, or I work on clothing designs.” 

“So, you make more than just derby hats?” 

Marinette smiled at the memory of the contest. “Yes, and not just hats. I love designing all sorts of clothing. I find it amazing how different colors, threads and cloth can be put together to make a statement. There’s no better feeling when a person tries on one of my designs and loves it. I think people are happier if they find something to wear that they love and enjoy, that makes them feel like themselves.” 

She had been so involved in talking about her passion that she forgot where she was. 

“Wow. I never thought of it that way,” Adrien said. “I’m just the guy who wears it and poses.” 

“What you do is amazing, too. I could never do that. I mean, I wear clothes, of course. Who doesn’t wear clothes? That would be weird. Wow, is it hot in here. Can I open a window?” 

Adrien obliged. The air blowing in drowned out any awkward silence that lingered. 

“I’d love to see some of your designs, Marinette.” 

“You would?” 

“Yeah. My father loved the derby hat. Anyone who can impress him has to be good.” 

At this compliment, Marinette didn’t just blush, she felt as if steam was coming out of her ears like from an American cartoon. 

“Show him,” Tikki whispered. She pushed at the small sketchbook that Marinette always carried around in her purse for whenever inspiration struck. 

With trembling hand, Marinette picked up the sketchbook and handed it to the blond. She waited in tense silence as page after page was turned. 

The beginning of the book was mostly feminine clothing: shirts, skirts, and dresses with smatterings of fancy hats, shoes and handbags. Past that, more boy clothing dominated the pages. 

At that point, Marinette realized something; while most of the clothing had been drawn on manikin-like bodies, on the boys’ clothing, she sometimes doodled faces and hair. A lot of those sketches had an uncanny resemblance to Adrien. Worried that he would catch that, Marinette wanted to snatch the book away. Before she could, Adrien turned the page to The Dress. The Dress that had been inspired by Schumann’s song. 

Her wedding dress. 

Adrien paused, eyes lingering longer than with the other drawings. “This is amazing.” 

Marinette remained still, unsure what to do. After all, this moment was already the best one of her life. She didn’t want to ruin it by spazzing out. 

“But everything you do is amazing. But this…this is something else, Marinette. This is special.” He touched the page gently as if to test the fabric quality. “It’s like a song.” 

That shook Marinette to her core. Piano music danced in her head. Did he sense what inspired her to draw the dress? Was he thinking of the same song? 

Before she could ask—or stutter something ridiculous—he closed the book and handed it back. 

“You have an incredible future ahead of you. Have you ever considered making your designs and selling them? You know, online?” 

“Um, well, I’ve made some things for my friends and parents, but I haven’t thought of selling them. I’m a little…busy for that.” 

“I understand. Having a part-time job and going to school is hectic. Take it from me.” 

Finally feeling relaxed enough to look him in the eyes, Marinette wished this moment wouldn’t end. 

Then the car stopped in front of the bakery. Adrien’s bodyguard opened the door. 

Marinette sighed heavily and slid out after the blond. 

Together, they went inside. Immediately, her parents acted like her parents. They greeted Adrien warmly, questioned him about school and his father, thanking him for being such a gentleman for bringing their daughter home before ringing up a box of macaroons. 

“See you back at school. That is, unless you want another ride.” Adrien waited for an answer. 

Was it Marinette’s imagination or did he look hopeful? 

“It’s too much out of your way,” Marinette replied, although she wished she had accepted. 

“Okay.” Just before he stepped out, he turned back. “Oh, and Marinette. If you ever decide to start your own business, let me know. I’ll be your first model.” He said this with a wink that was almost flirtatious. Almost like a certain cat she knew. 

Despite the Cat Noir reminder, it still weakened her knees. 

_Oh, that boy. If only he knew what he does to me._

She stared at the door for a few minutes until her father cleared his throat. Jumping, she pretended to have spaced out about a school assignment before rushing upstairs. Not that her parents didn’t know her secret despite never telling them; it just wasn’t something she wanted to discuss. 

After eating, she searched her closet and drawers, digging through every inch of her room. Not finding what she was looking for, she raced downstairs. “Mom, do you know where my jogging outfit is? You know, the pink and gray pair.” 

“Oh, I threw those out months ago.” 

“What?” 

“There was a hole in the knee, remember?” 

“Oh, yeah.” If she was going to continue her pretense of exercising so she could watch Adrien in the morning, she needed a jogging outfit. “I just thought I’d start exercising more. Do you think I could have some money to buy another one, please?” 

Her mother smiled, dark eyes almost disappearing from the smile lines. “I’m glad. I’ve been a little worried that you don’t get enough sun and fresh air since you spend so much time in your room.” 

_If only you knew…_

Her mother opened her purse and placed some money in her daughter’s palm. Then, thinking a while, added to the pile. In a whisper, she explained, “For some underthings as well. You’ve been needing some.” 

Marinette could tell her father was pretending not to have overheard. Even though living in a house with two girls, the words “panties” and “bras” were rarely used in the man’s presence. 

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll see you after school.” 

** 

As they drove off, Adrien’s mind went back to Marinette’s sketchbook. Having seen some of his father’s designs on paper, he couldn’t help comparing their style. His lines were bold and confident, rarely needing to use two or more lines to create the shape. His were professional, chic and somewhat cold. But Marinette’s were raw and soft, her lines drawn multiple times, giving it a sketchy style. They were experiments in art, as if Marinette were discovering just who she was as a fashion designer. 

And that dress…It must have been a wedding dress, there was no mistaking the shape. When he said it was like a song, it reminded him of Schumann’s_ Wigmund _that he played that day. Perhaps it was because he had looked up his parents’ wedding on Youtube. 

According to his mother, the wedding had been public and the reception was private. Even though they were budding stars in fashion and film, their fame was enough to entice the media. His mother had walked down the aisle to Schumann; her fans loved her for being an untraditionalist. 

And that happened sixteen years ago today. Which is why he found the Youtube video. Which is why he played the song to his piano teacher, who had been friends with his mother. Which may have been why Marinette’s drawing affected him so much. 

Feeling melancholy, Adrien opened the box of macaroons and offered one to Plagg. The black cat Kwami stuck his nose up. 

“How could you eat something so sweet? How can you eat anything that isn’t Camembert?” 

Adrien didn’t answer, just popped it into his mouth. Usually he wouldn’t eat sweets for days, sometimes weeks. His father insisted on a healthy diet since it was important for his career. He didn’t mind; food wasn’t important to him. However, the macaroons were a great treat. 

“It’s too bad she didn’t take my offer to give her a ride back to school.” 

“Getting up early, driving her everywhere, this idea is too complicated,” Plagg complained. “Just do as I suggested and try to get her akumatized.” 

“I can’t tell if your joking or not. And it scares me.” 

Classic Plagg didn’t seem to care. “What are you going to do after school?” 

“Follow Marinette, of course.” 

“But what are you going to do about him?” Plagg pointed to the glass divider where they could see the back of the Gorilla’s head. “What does he think about you skipping off to the mall? Is he going to help you stalk the girl?” 

The image was both hilarious and painful. 

Adrien winced. “I’ll just have to lose him.” 

“I could always Cataclysm the limo.” 

“Please don’t. Not ever.” 

“Then what will you do tomorrow? You can’t play hooky forever.” 

Adrien sighed. Perhaps his plan was half-baked. “I’ll just have to play things one day at a time. Something will come up. Hopefully.” 

*** 

That afternoon, while in study hall, Adrien stood up and left the room. This was common enough; the teacher who monitored them allowed them to come and go as they pleased as long as it was school business and they didn’t goof-off in the halls. 

Since he could have left for any number of reasons—needing a book from the library or to print something in the computer lab—Marinette waited ten seconds before doing the same thing. However, she didn’t get the unnoticeable exit she wanted and tripped over her own feet descending the stairs. 

“Tripping over your own strings, Marinette.” Chloe laughed at her own joke. 

Growling, Marinette ignored the comment as she left. 

“Where did he go?” she asked herself, scanning around. A flash of blond hair and a white jacket caught her eye as it disappeared around the corner on the ground floor. She raced down the stairs to catch up, only to find an empty hallway of doors. What was she going to do now? 

Trying to be as discrete as possible, she systematically made her way to each door, peeking in through the glass window. On about the seventh door, she didn’t notice that it was slightly different than the others. Not that it matter since it opened just as she crept up to it, face-planting the metal. 

“Marinette? I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” 

Hearing Adrien’s voice, she straightened up, holding her nose. “Yeah. You’re so fine. I mean—I’m fine. Totally. I just needed something in there.” 

“Uh…That’s the boy’s bathroom.” 

Horror filled her. She hadn’t noticed the sign or the fact that the door didn’t have a window, clear indications of it being a restroom. Her face felt like a volcanic eruption. 

“I…so, it is. Wrong door,” she said, pretending it was an honest mistake and not because she was stalking him. “Sorry.” 

“Are you okay, Marinette?” 

“Yeah. Why?” 

“Your face is red. Did you get hurt? Or are you mad at someone?” He looked concerned at this point. 

She took a deep breath, calming her rapid heart. “I was running in the halls. I really had to go.”_ Why did I just say that?! Now he thinks I have to pee._

“Okay. I’ll see you back at class.” 

“Yeah. See you.” To prevent herself from saying anything more embarrassing, she ran the five meters to the girl’s room. With her back pressing against the door, she moaned and gripped her face. “Could I have been more of a dork? Now, whenever I see him, I’ll remember that I almost peeked on him in the boy’s restroom.” 

“Marinette, I told you this isn’t the best idea. What if the akuma never comes? Or what if Adrien just is never in a negative mood to become akumatized? You can barely keep an eye on him for one day. You can’t keep this up forever.” 

Marinette sighed. “But if Adrien does get akumatized, then I’ll have to fight him. I don’t know if I can do that.” 

“You’ve fought your friends before. You helped Alya. You’re strong enough to take on anything Hawkmoth throws at you. It’s that inner strength that is the reason you were chosen to wield the Ladybug Miraculous.” 

A warmth spread throughout Marinette’s chest, and she felt better. 

“Besides, if you experience any more embarrassing moments, I’m afraid it will be you who will be akumatized,” Tikki joked, giggling. 

“Hey. I don’t get embarrassed that much.” 

*** 

As students streamed out of the front doors of the school like salmon, Adrien took a back exit, ignoring the “cat-calls” from Plagg about how he was being a bad boy. Before becoming Cat Noir, he had never done anything sneaky or mischievous, but after the third of fourth time, it was easier. 

Plagg was definitely rubbing off on him. 

“Since you’re a free man…er…boy, why don’t we go to that fancy restaurant. You know the one that gives you that amazing goat cheese as an appetizer,” Plagg suggested, peaking out. 

“I’m going to get in serious trouble for this to protect Marinette. I’m not going to mess it up for your cheese habit.” 

“Right. Protecting…,” Plagg teased with a wink. “Such an odious task to watch over a cute girl.” 

“She not cute,” Adrien commented without thinking. “I mean, she is cute. She’s more than cute. She’s a beautiful girl. But I don’t think of her…why am I defending myself?” 

Plagg laughed as Adrien stuffed him farther into his jacket pocket. “Me thinks the boy protests too much.” 

“You know I’m in love with Ladybug.” 

Plagg made a gagging sound similar to a cat with a hairball. “Whatever. Can we just get things over with so we can go home and eat? Lunch was so long ago.” 

Adrien rolled his eyes before catching a glimpse of Alya and Nino walking and holding hands a block away from the school. Like a loyal shadow, Marinette followed but kept her distance from the couple. After a kiss and a hug, Alya and Marinette waved good-bye to the boy before splitting off. 

Racing and staying out of view of the idling limo at the front of the school, Adrien caught up to his friend. “Hey, Nino. I was hoping to hang out with you and the girls this afternoon.” 

“That’s funny, Adrien.” 

“I’m serious.” 

“No way! Your old man let you off your leash?” 

“Har har.” 

“You are serious. That’s too bad because Alya said she and Marinette needed girl time together. No boys allowed. Which probably means one of them is having ‘girl problems’.” 

“You mean like a bad hair day?” That sounded more like Chloe than Alya or Marinette. 

“No, dude. I mean _Girl Problems_,” Nino repeated with more emphasis. 

Adrien may have been a bit naïve, but due to Chloe and the Internet, he at least knew what his friend was referring. And knowing this, it put a whole new spin on his worries that Marinette could be akumatized. 

If girls were that moody for a few days a month, then they were vulnerable to Hawkmoth’s influence. And if it was Marinette in that situation, then she would be an easy target. 

“So, what do you want to do?” 

Nino looked at him expectantly, unknowing the growing turmoil that riled in Adrien’s thoughts. “Uh…How about we head to the mall?” That was the basic direction the girls were going. Hopefully, they would “accidentally” meet up. 

“Cool.” 

*** 

As they walked, Marinette kept glancing around and back down the street. 

“Uh, I’m pretty sure we’re not being followed,” Alya laughed. 

Marinette blushed. “Oh, I just thought that Adrien might be going to the mall today.” 

Alya shook her head. “Yeah, right. When Hell freezes over.” 

“I thought I heard him say something about it today,” she said the half-truth with a shrug. 

“Hmmmm. He is going through a teenage rebellious stage. I’ll check with Nino.” 

Marinette grimaced. Nino couldn’t know of her deep, deep crush on Adrien. Girlfriends were one thing, but for a boy to know… 

“Chill,” Alya placated, seeing her friend’s panic. “I’ll be totally discreet.” 

As she typed, Marinette tried to read the text over Alya’s shoulder before it was sent. A few seconds later, the phone beeped. Alya read the returned text and laughed. 

“What?” 

“Oh, it’s just that Nino thought that we might have been…on our cycle.” Again she laughed. 

Marinette paled. She loved Alya, but sometimes the girl had no shame. She would die if she mentioned her cycle around a boy. 

Another text came through. 

“Wow. So, you were right. Adrien is a free man and is spending the day at the mall. Want me to see if the boys want to hang after we get you some bras and panties.” 

“Shhhh,” Marinette hushed her friend, eyes wide as a man and woman—holding hands—laughed as they passed by. Did they hear? Were they laughing at her? “Don’t broadcast it to the entire world.” 

“Relax. It’s not like we’re getting you sexy lingerie. Although if you ever want some, you have to let me help pick some out.” 

Face bright red, Marinette waved her hands in front of Alya’s face. “That’s not going to happen until I’m married.” 

Alya chuckled. “Oh, Marinette, you’re just so much fun to tease. Come on. Let’s get shopping so we can rendezvous with our men.” 

“He’s not my—ah!” Marinette’s protest was cut short by Alya pulling on her arm. 

*** 

“Wow, so this is a mall.” 

“Dude, have you really not been to a mall?” 

“There’s a lot of places I haven’t been to. I do most of my shopping online.” 

“Well, let me introduce you to this marvelous wonderland.” 

The building was a hybrid of indoor and outdoor sections; the indoor had more upscale, stylish clothing brands along with beauty salons, restaurants and jewelry stores, and the outdoors was pock-marked with fountains, snack shacks, kiosks, the food court, and a wide variety of shops selling clothing, toys, electronics, books and knock-off knick knacks. 

Adrien looked at the collection of garish capitalism and was impressed. Between the large crowds, the diversity of styles and genres, and the sensory overload, he understood why it was a popular hangout. It was the perfect place to be noticed and unnoticed at the same time. 

“Whoa, it seems I was wrong about the PMS thing,” Nino said, reading his phone. “The girls just wanted to do some clothes shopping, but they want to hang out after. Is that cool with you?” 

Adrien ducked his head at the off-hand way his friend mentioned the feminine body’s functions. He found it embarrassing and somewhat disrespectful; his mother had taught him to respect women and treat them like ladies. Not that he judged Nino; his friend’s cavalier attitude wasn’t disrespectful, just a different style. 

“Uh, yeah. That’s cool. As long as you don’t take Alya somewhere to get personal.” 

It was Nino’s turn to be embarrassed. 

As they headed to the arcade to waste some time, Nino’s phone buzzed. 

“Oh, no.” 

“What is it? 

“It’s my dad. He totally forgot today was his anniversary. He wants me to grab some things for Mom, like flowers and junk. That’s so my dad, always absent-minded about dates and stuff. Do you mind? Girls take forever to shop, so I can probably get back before they’re done.” 

“No problem. I’ll just beat a few high scores,” Adrien said with a wink. 

Nino waved as he ran off. 

_This is the purr-fect time to find Marinette and keep an eye on her,_ Adrien thought, slipping into Cat Noir mode. He wandered the mall, checking all the clothing stores one by one. Since most were small, he could just peek in each. However there were three big ones that had two stories of clothing. It was in one of these that he finally spotted the double ponytails of Marinette. 

Trying to remain unseen, he crept closer, hiding behind large objects or pretending to be another shopper. That didn’t work since the girls zigzagged through a forest of clothing racks, disappearing then reappearing farther away. He wished for the abilities of his Miraculous to help him in this task. 

*** 

“What about this one? It’s got strawberries on it” Alya announced. 

Marinette liked the pattern and added the bra to the growing pile. Even though it would be something only she would see, she still liked her undergarments to be cute. 

“I’m going to the changing room now,” Marinette announced. 

Alya suddenly gasped, drawing it out for effect. “Wait. You have to try this one on. Oh, it has matching panties.” In her hands, she held a matching set of delicates that were bright red with black spots. “Sexy Ladybug!” 

Stunned, Marinette couldn’t say anything, although she certainly had some interesting thoughts. Did the designers intentionally made underwear in tribute to her? Or was this just a coincidence? Either way, it was too close to reality for her to try on. “I don’t think so.” 

“Come on. It doesn’t cost anything to try them on. You’ll look cute in them.” Then Alya held the bra and panties against Marinette’s body as if to prove her point. 

That was when Marinette spotted him only a few feet away, his eyes falling on hers. And then scrolling down. At the bra and panties. 

“A-A-A-Adrien?!” she shouted, stumbling over his name. She also looked down at the ensemble, then screamed and ducked behind the nearest clothing rack. 

“I’m sorry!” she heard Adrien shouted, his voice sounding distant. 

“He saw me. He saw me,” Marinette cried to herself, curling up on the floor like a dead spider. 

Alya laughed. 

“Alya, this is your fault. He saw me. I might as well have been naked except for that Ladybug underwear,” Marinette whined. 

“So dramatic.” Alya shook her head. “Get up and get to the changing rooms. I’m going to check on that boy and make sure you didn’t break his brain.” 

“Why was he here anyway?” 

“He should have been with Nino. I’ll find out. Go.” 

*** 

Finding the nearest bench, Adrien collapsed, trying to calm the rapids that was his blood pressure. His heart wasn’t helping. 

Sure, he had seen plenty of girls in underwear and bikinis, but on photo shoots. Those girls knew others would see them. They were professionals. There was something different about accidentally seeing Marinette in the…unmentionables section of the clothing store. And she wasn’t even wearing the undergarments. 

Perhaps his embarrassment stemmed from that they had the Ladybug pattern on them. For so long, the red and black colors had made his heart leap, and with Marinette holding them, it turned his face a brighter shade than the underwear. 

“Adrien, what’s going on? Where’s Nino?” Alya ran up to him, interrupting his guilt-filled revere. 

Adrien quickly explained. 

“Again? This happens every year. So, what were you doing in there besides freaking us out?” Alya pointed back at the store. 

“Sorry. I saw you two go into the store, so I thought I’d just say hi. I didn’t think you were shopping for…” 

“Well, poor Marinette is going to be blushing all week.” Her phone pinged, indicating a text. “Oh, and now Nino needs me. Or at least my credit card. His dad better pay me back.” 

“You’re leaving?” Panic gripped his heart. 

“I’ll text Marinette. You two chill until we get back.” 

“But…” 

“Look, I know you two just went through a traumatizing event, but I can’t baby you through this.” 

“What do I say to her?” 

“What you normally would say. It might help to take her out for ice-cream.” This last part was said with a strange smile on her face. 

*** 

While in the changing room, Marinette’s phone buzzed. She read Alya’s texts with dread. Normally, the idea of hanging out with Adrien would have made her giddy, but with the day being one incident after another, she was ready to burn down the story just to avoid him. 

“You can’t hide in here all day,” Tikki told her. 

“Sure I can.” 

“That’s not the Ladybug I know.” 

Marinette gave the Kwami a wry smile. “Okay, here I go.” 

After paying for her purchases—sans Ladybug underwear—she exited the store to find a drooping Adrien sitting on the bench. He looked just as miserable about the situation as she felt. Hopefully it was because of the embarrassment and not because he was hanging out with her. 

“Hey…Adrien,” she said less enthusiastically than usual. 

He jumped to his feet. “Marinette, I’m so so so sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen.” He sounded so pathetic, like a cat getting a bath, that she couldn’t help but smile. 

“It’s fine. As long as we never ever ever ever EVER speak of it again.” 

“Agreed.” 

They stood in awkward silence, looking anywhere but at each other. 

“Oh, I thought I would buy you an ice-cream. For, you know, that thing we shouldn’t speak about,” he said, smiling. 

“That sounds great. Thank you.” 

In the food court, they ordered a couple of cones before sitting at a table to eat. Again, silence reigned. 

Adrien was the first to brave breaking the quiet. “I wonder if anyone has designed a Cat Noir clothing line.” 

“I thought we agreed not to speak of that…thing.” 

“I’m not,” Adrien said wryly. “This is something completely different.” 

“Well, it wouldn’t be hard. They just have to attach a bell to any black clothing.” 

Adrien laughed. She loved his laugh. 

“I guess it’s not an ideal style.” 

“Not even on him.” 

That invited the silence back. 

“You don’t like Cat Noir’s costume?” 

“Er…it’s not that. It’s just, as a fashion designer, I would have done something different.” 

Oh, I guess that’s cool. If you ever design him a new costume, I’d love to see it.” 

That made her want to sketch. 

“What about Ladybug? Would you change her costume?” 

“Nope, I wouldn’t change a thing about her.” 

“I agree. She’s absolutely amazing.” 

Adrien’s tone caught Marinette’s attention. It was a voice she had never heard before. 

“You like Ladybug a lot, don’t you?” 

“Yeah. Who doesn’t? She’s so selfless in how she defends Paris. She’s fantastic.” 

“Sounds like you have a little crush.” Her heart raced in anticipation of what he would say next. 

“I kind of do.” Adrien looked wistful. “Not that she would ever notice.” 

It felt strange knowing that her biggest competition for Adrien’s heart was herself. But then again, how could she compete against Ladybug. Compared to her alter ego, Marinette wasn’t much to look at. 

“What if she wasn’t so amazing? I mean, under the mask. What if she was ordinary and unexceptional when she isn’t Ladybug?” 

“I don’t think that’s likely.” 

“But what if she acts differently without the mask. When nobody knows who you are, you can be whoever you want. What if the attributes that make her Ladybug don’t carry over into her everyday life?” 

“I suppose you could be right. If I wore a mask, I think I’d act differently. But I also believe that whatever made me me, that wouldn’t go away because I wore a mask. The same goes for Ladybug.” 

Marinette felt her heart rate quicken. 

“Ladybug didn’t become amazing just because she put on a mask. I’m sure the attributes she had before becoming a superhero, those are what made her great.” 

More than anything, she wished she could tell him her secret, or at least be Ladybug at that moment to thank him for those kind words. Perhaps if what Adrien said was true, maybe he’d see those Ladybug-like attributes in her. 

Or maybe she could take the courage she had as Ladybug and finally tell Adrien how she felt. 

“Adrien, I want to tell—“ 

A loud explosion blasted their ears, the sonic wave knocking them, their chairs, and the table to the floor. Marinette felt bruises on her body before she could open eyes. Her ears rang. Someone was screaming, but it sounded far away, muffled, like a pillow covered her ears. She felt something cold on her hip, finding strawberry ice-cream smeared on her pants. 

The fountain that was the center of the food court lay in ruins, the water pouring out in a geyser. Rubble lay strewn all over; the foot court was a chaotic mess like a paint splat with the fountain as the epicenter. A few bodies moved, but most lay prone and still. 

_Adrien._

She finally managed to focus on something. Sitting up, her head spun in dizzy elipticals, but still managed to look around. A meter away, she spotted him. She crawled to him, finding his pulse with relief. His head was bleeding, clotting in his blond hair. 

“Somebody, please. My friend needs help,” Marinette called. She wasn’t sure anyone heard her. Her own voice sounded faint and not loud enough to drown out the ringing. 

Her eyes fixated on the fountain. What happened? How did it get that way? 

Then a figure strutted from behind it, circling the pool. He looked out of place, walking with a purpose with a calm demeanor. His clothes had a discordant, multi-colored style, his face painted with garish hues. 

_An akuma attack._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Months ago, my friend and I were talking about funny Ladybug stuff when we came up with this storyline. She wrote her own version, and I wasn't going to write anything because I'm really bad about writing fanfiction ideas down so anyone could read them. However, I started getting more and more Ladybug fanfiction ideas, so, here we are.
> 
> Anyway, when I first started planning this story, the scene where Adrien walks in on Marinette and Alya in the delicates department played out differently in my mind. I had intended it to be, not Adrien, but Cat Noir see Marinette holding up underwear. I wanted this for the sole purpose for Alya to say this line, "He's a peeping Tom cat. Do I dare post this on the Ladyblog? Oh yes, I dare." Or something to that effect. However, it just didn't fit in with my storyline for Cat Noir to be there. I think this new version is better.
> 
> P.S. I am unsure of the actual name of the piano piece referred to in this story. For any classical aficionados, if I have made a mistake, please let me know.


	4. If You Have a Bad Day…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Adrien must work together. Will they save the day?

The man, the akumatized villain, moved his mouth, but Marinette could only hear one in ten words clearly. Her ears still rang from the blast. She needed to find some place to transform into Ladybug, but she also couldn’t leave Adrien.  


Looking around, she saw a shelter of tables that had been cluttered together during the blast. Unsteady and careful not to be seen, she dragged Adrien to the semi-protective barrier, a feat considering her right arm was injured. She was sure it wasn’t broken, but it was definitely sprained. It was a good thing the akuma—whatever stupid name he was calling himself—hadn’t focused on her. He seemed more occupied in destroying a map of the mall than targeting any people.  


Dashing away, she found a hidden corner where she could let her Kwami out.  


Tikki immediately started talking, her face lined with concern. Luckily, Marinette’s ears had cleared enough to understand the magical being. “You’re hurt. Marinette, if you turn into Ladybug, you’ll still have those injuries.”  


Marinette sighed with relief at the sound of Tikki’s voice. “I need to do something.”  


“You’ll be going into this fight with a handicap. Perhaps you should wait for Cat Noir.”  


“I can’t. He might not be close enough to help right now or have even heard about the attack. Whatever this guy’s power is, he could hurt a lot of people. I have to transform.”  


“Be careful.”  


After they merged, Ladybug tested her yo-yo. Her arm ached. She could try using her left hand like when she fought the pixelator, but she wouldn’t be as good.  


“I’ll just have to push through the pain,” she told herself. Grimacing, she raced out of hiding with yo-yo spinning straight at the villain. Both her feet and heart nearly stopped as she saw he was setting up a device that looked like a home-made bomb, taping it to a pillar.  


A bomb? Something about this akuma was different, almost wrong.  


Throwing her yo-yo, she retrained one of the man’s hands. “Get away from there.”  


“You can’t stop me, Ladybug. Hawkmoth has given me the power to knock down these cold, corporate nightmares so that I can free the world of greedy capitalists.”  


Ignoring the usual spill, she yanked the man off his feet, wrapping the yo-yo string around and around his body. He hit the floor was a painful grunt.  


A beeping sound came from the makeshift explosive. Was it about to go off? What could she do?  


Looking at it, a timer blinked a number, but it wasn’t counting down. He hadn’t set it yet.  


Ladybug placed a fist to her chest, relieved. Blowing up the pillar may have brought the second floor down.  


Moving to the villain, she searched him for an object where the akuma was hiding. He had nothing in his hands nor did anything on him stand out. She searched his pockets, tearing or breaking random things, but no akuma appeared. Was the object not on his person? “Where is your akuma?” she shouted, more to herself than to the trussed-up man.  


“I would never tell you, sycophant. Your days of serving a corrupt mayor has ended. Soon, everyone will be free.”  


Again, Ladybug had the feeling that things weren’t right. This guy was acting strange, even for an akuma. And he hadn’t mentioned once her or Cat Noir’s Miraculous.  
Her eyes caught a glimpse of flesh on his face where his cheek was touching the floor. A puddle of water from the destroyed fountain had seeped out, and the abnormal coloring on the man’s face had washed away.  


“Paint?” She wiped a finger down his face, leaving a streak behind.  


“Unhand me, witch.”  


“You’re not an akuma.”  


“Yes, I am. Hawkmoth chose me to be his lieutenant. I will make sure his will be done.”  


Ladybug stepped back, horrified at the man’s fanatical ramblings. This was new and completely beyond her.  


_Time to call in backup._  


Instead of dialing Cat Noir, she contacted the police, informing them of the situation and requesting for ambulances and a bomb squad. Then, she made doubly sure that the guy—whoever he was—couldn’t break free.  


Nervous about the live explosives mere meters away, she started directing anyone nearby to leave and help anyone who was conscious and could walk. Those who couldn’t walk or were unconscious would have to remain where they were until the paramedics arrived. Luckily, not many citizens were close to the fountain since it was a little early for the dinner rush, and so far, everyone she found was alive, each pulse a gift.  


As she did her job, she made her way to where she left Adrien, who was now awake and sitting up. Blood mingled with his blond hair which had dripped down half of his face.  


“Are you alright, Adr—I mean—boy that I don’t know?”  


“Ladybug?! What happened? Is there another akuma attack?” He moved as if going to stand.  


“Don’t get up. Everything is alright. There’s been an incident, and you’ve been hurt.”  


Adrien touched his head lightly, his fingers coming back red.  


“You need medical attention. Stay here. I’ve called for the paramedics.”  


“I’m fine. There’s a lot more people who need help.”  


Ladybug’s heart fluttered at how gallant Adrien was, so selfless, so like a hero.  


“I’m going to make sure you get out of here first. We need to clear the area for when the bomb squad arrives.”  


“Bomb squad?” Adrien’s eyes widened as he took in the broken fountain. Then he searched the area, each second his face becoming more frantic. “Marinette?”  


“What?” Ladybug answered to her name automatically before her hands shot to her mouth. She tried to cover up her mistake. “What was that? Are you looking for someone?”  


“My friend. She was sitting right next to me when…that bomb went off. She should be nearby.”  


“Oh, I think I remember her. Cut girl with dark hair, blue eyes and amazing fashion sense.”  


“Yeah, that’s her.”  


“I told her to leave. She was very concerned about you, so I promised I would find you and makes sure you made it out safely. She’s probably outside waiting for you.”  


_That is if the police get here and take care of things so I can leave._  


“All this destruction. It’s hard to believe that it wasn’t done by an akuma,” Adrien said, looking depressed. His eyes fell onto the bomber who struggled to get free. “Is that…?”  


“You don’t need to see this. Let’s go.”  


“That guy…what if…an akuma comes now?”  


Adrien’s words nearly stopped Ladybug’s heart, and fears, both old and new, filled her. With all the suffering, all the negative emotions, an akuma would have its pick of victims. What if the bomber was chosen? Or Adrien? By his face, he looked scared. What should she do? Should she keep watch over the bomber? Or should she continue to guard Adrien? Her insides felt as if they were shaking, even though they weren’t on the outside.  


“Ladybug. Help! An akuma.”  


Immediately, both Ladybug and Adrien were on their feet.  


It may have been a coincidence or perhaps Hawkmoth found an opportunity too good to pass up, but at the shout and a number of pointing fingers, Ladybug turned, her eyes scanning for a person with the tell-tale signs of being possessed. But the fingers weren’t directed to a person but a dark butterfly circling the broken fountain.  


Ladybug’s fear spiked. Not now. Not in the middle of this chaos with Adrien hurt and her arm almost useless.  


The butterfly stopped circling and dove toward her and Adrien, its speed surprisingly fast.  


“Get out of here, Adrien” Ladybug ordered.  


“I’m not leaving you.”  


_Oh, Adrien. Why do you have to be so brave at this minute? I’d feel so much better if you left._  


“Come on.” She grabbed Adrien’s wrist and pulled him along with her uninjured arm. As she ran, she reached for her yo-yo, finding nothing at her hip. Belatedly, she remembered it was still wrapped around the bomber. She was unarmed, and it was too late to go back; the butterfly was between her and where she left her weapon.  
The dark insect pursued them relentlessly, even bypassing others to keep up the chase.  


“It’s following us. Let’s go upstairs,” Adrien suggested, pointing at the escalators that no longer moved, shut down because of the blast. “There should be less people there.”  


“Good idea. Stay with me. I won’t let you be akumatized.”  


“Same here.”  


A startled gasp caught in Ladybug’s throat. She? Be akumatized? The thought sent chills through her body.  


As they climbed the metal steps, a group of police officers entered the building nearby.  


“Ladybug. What’s going on?”  


“Stay clear. An akuma is following us,” Ladybug shouted, gesturing violently. “Clear the building right now.”  


As she continued to run, she heard the officers splitting up to find all the injured. Hopefully, they would find the bomber guy. If they could put the villain in handcuffs and if she could keep outrunning the akuma, she could circle around for her yo-yo before the akuma could possess anyone.  


Once at the top of the escalator, Adrien pointed down one side. “I’ll go this way, and you go the other way. It can’t follow both of us.”  


_Are you crazy?_ Ladybug wanted to scream. Since she couldn’t stop Adrien from coming with her, she wasn’t going to let him out of her sight. “No, we stick together.”  


She grabbed his hand without thinking and pulled him along, picking a direction. It was then she realized what she had done, her face heating up as she concentrated on the sensation through her glove. With her mind on Adrien and not on running, she accidentally led them down a dead end.  


“Oh, crap,” she muttered, turning around.  


Too late. The dark butterfly had already caught up, blocking the exit. They had no choice but to put their backs up against the wall and watch.  


“Don’t let the akuma get you,” Adrien cried out, stepping in front of Ladybug.  


“It’s not after me. It’s after you,” Ladybug insisted, pushing the boy away so she faced the akuma.  


“No, it’s your fear that is attracting it.”  


Ladybug looked into Adrien’s face and knew hers was a mirror. They were equally afraid.  


“Get behind me. I’ll protect you,” Ladybug insisted.  


“No. You’re Ladybug. You must not get akumatized or all is lost.”  


Ladybug’s heart quickened, her checks flushed. How could she be afraid when Adrien was willing to sacrifice himself for her?  


_Wait…_  


“The akuma is attracted by our negative emotions. We need to stop being afraid!”  


“Of course. It won’t touch us if it can’t sense negative emotions.”  


Impulsively, Ladybug grabbed Adrien’s hand, bringing to mind all the good memories she had with him. That day with the umbrella. Playing video games with him. How much he loved his birthday present. And today, how he bought her ice-cream, all the nice things he said about her drawings, what he said about Ladybug, how he wanted to protect her.  


She felt him squeeze her hand, and her heart thrilled at the gesture. Fear no longer had its claws in her. She was so immersed in the memories and sensation of standing shoulder to shoulder with her crush that she barely reacted as the butterfly landed right on their entwined fingers…  


…and in a flash, turned white.  


She gasped, lifting hers and Adrien’s hand up so that the butterfly was at eye level. It lingered before flitting away.  


“How…How did you do that?” Adrien asked, wonder in his voice.  


“I don’t know.”

***

Perhaps it had been his head wound, but Adrien hadn’t thought of hiding away and using Plagg to transform. During the whole akuma incident, racing through the mall, his main thoughts had been to stay with Ladybug. He realized later that he had acted very much like Cat Noir—without the puns—as he raced by her side. And when Ladybug told him to stop being afraid, he concentrated on the strongest, most positive emotion he had. With fingers entwined with hers, his heart continued to sprint, but his fear ebbed.  


Now with the transformation of the butterfly, his heart still pounded an allegro rhythm.  


Even after the purified insect disappeared, they remained as they were, with backs against the wall and hand still clasped. He wanted to stay that way as long as he could, only letting go when Ladybug did.  


They remained in silence. Adrien couldn’t know for sure what Ladybug was thinking, but he was certain it was the same thing he was. He contemplated the implications of the purification of Hawkmoth’s messenger without the need of Ladybug’s yo-yo.  


“I think…” Adrian hesitated to say anything. After all, he wasn’t Cat Noir. As Adrien, he didn’t have the insights that Cat Noir would. If he speculated, would she guess who he was?  


Did it matter? After all, most information about akumas was public knowledge.  


“I think,” he continued, emboldened, “that right as the akuma landed on our hands, our positive emotions outweighed the negative.”  


Ladybug nodded. “Without any negative emotions to merge with, it was purified, just like what my yo-yo would do.”  


Despite his injuries, Adrien felt happy. So happy, he forgot he wasn’t in costume. He hugged Ladybug, feeling comfort that she was still there. Realizing he was Adrien and not Cat Noir, he pulled away quickly. “Wow…I’m just so glad you weren’t akumatized.”  


Ladybug lowered her head, looking demure. “Yeah, you too.”  


Was it his imagination or was she blushing?  


“And this is amazing. We now know something new about akumas. Positive emotions don’t just drive away those butterflies. We have a way for citizens to fight them. We need to tell everyone.”  


“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”  


“Why not?”  


“Maybe it only worked this one time because I was with you. Maybe I don’t need my yo-yo to capture akumas.”  


Adrien almost asked what would her Kwami think of the situation, and once again caught himself before giving up his secret identity. As much as he loved working with Ladybug as Adrien, it was kind of confusing.  


“I think it would be best if we kept this a secret. At least, until I can do some research and talk to Cat Noir about it.”  


Adrien agreed. “You’re right. If the theory is no good, it would upset a lot of people. But even if it only works on you, that’s all it matters. As long as you are safe, Paris is safe, Ladybug.”  


Once again, he caught a glimpse of a shy Ladybug, a side of her he wasn’t used to. Could she possibly be an…Adrien fan? Just the thought of that made him giddy, but he didn’t ask.  


Adrien felt they were close, closer than strangers would feel comfortable being. But they weren’t strangers? He was Cat. He belonged at her side. He wished she could see that. Similar to Schrödinger’s cat, he was a stranger and a friend.  


After several moments of standing just looking at each other, Ladybug finally spoke. “We should probably go. I can hear the ambulances coming. You need to get that head wound looked at.”  


“Oh…yeah…” He couldn’t feel it, at least, not until she mentioned it. Then it throbbed.  


Ladybug stayed at his side as they went through the empty mall, their words limited to mere directions. At the food court, they separated, he going outside where the medical personnel had gathered, and she to talk to the police and retrieve her yo-yo.  


He felt as if he missed something, a moment that should have happened but didn’t. Was it because he wasn’t Cat Noir or because he didn’t take a chance?  


The paramedics gave him a blanket and a cup of cocoa as they took his vitals and bandaged his head. They wanted to take him to a hospital for observation since he might have a concussion. They called his father—or rather Natalie—since his phone was broken. He wondered where the Gorilla was, maybe still waiting at the school.  


“Adrien!”  


He had been so wrapped up in thoughts of Ladybug and the day’s events, he didn’t notice the girl until she was hugging him.  


“I was so worried. Are you okay?”  


“Marinette.” He felt bad. After Ladybug told him that his friend was fine, he hadn’t thought of her since. “I’m sorry. I was one of the last ones out of there.”  


“I’m just glad that you’re fine.” The she pulled away quickly, looking embarrassed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hug me. I mean—I didn’t mean to bug you—hug you.”  


Adrien smiled. “It’s okay. That’s what friends do, don’t they?” Besides Chloe, he rarely got that kind of human contact. He realized that Marinette gave good hugs, soft and warm. Just what he needed.  


At that time, the paramedics were loading up a woman on a stretcher as well as a man with a suspected broken arm. They told Adrien that they would be leaving soon and wanted him in the ambulance.  


“Um…you better go. I’ll find Alya and Nino and tell them you’re okay. If you’re still in the hospital tomorrow, is it okay if I come visit you?”  


“Yeah, that would be great.” As he was about to climb in, something occurred to him, something he needed to tell Marinette. It was important, and it wouldn’t break his promise to Ladybug, but it needed to be said so that this whole stalking charade could stop.  


“Wait a minute, Marinette,” he called, stepping away from the medical vehicle. “I want to tell you something important. While I was in the mall with Ladybug, an akuma appeared. It might have been after me because I was so afraid.”  


Marinette’s eye grew wide.  


“It didn’t get me because Ladybug was there. Nobody was akumatized. But it made me realize, we need to be there for each other, so that our negative emotions don’t take us over. That’s the best defense against them. And we’ll be stronger together.”  


“Together?”  


“Yeah. And I know you have Alya and your parents, but I want you to know that if something is wrong, like if you’re having a bad day, you can always come to me. You can talk to me about anything, okay?”  


Marinette blushed as she was prone to do. He had accepted that the half-Chinese girl was easily embarrassed, but he was never sure why.  


“Will you come to me, too? That is, if you’re having a bad day?”  


“I will.”  


The paramedics wouldn’t let him talk anymore, so he climbed in. “Marinette, I had fun with you today. We should do it again, but next time, without all the danger.” He waved good-bye, seeing both laughter and tears in his friend’s eyes. 

***

After Adrien’s ambulance disappeared, screaming down the road, Marinette did just as she promised and looked for Alya and Nino. They were in the crowd kept back by police barricades, yelling her name once they spotted her.  


She told her friends all she could about the incident, which was short considering that as Marinette, she saw next to nothing except what the bomber looked like. Alya had been disappointed that she hadn’t been nearby to take pictures.  


_Yeah, Alya, too bad you missed out on such a terrifying event._  


Because her phone had been busted, she borrowed Alya’s to call her parents. They closed the bakery just to come pick her up, relieved that she wasn’t hurt. When she got home, she told her parents all she wanted to do was rest. She ate a small dinner, showered and collapsed onto her bed in a clean pair of PJs.  


Her arm still hurt, but Tikki had assured her it wasn’t broken. And unfortunately, the Ladybug Miraculous couldn’t repair anything that hadn’t been damaged by magic, so she would have to baby it for a while.  


“Are you really okay?” Tikki asked. Dark blue eyes were so close, their foreheads touched.  


“I’m fine. I’ll heal quickly.”  


“That’s not what I meant,” Tikki gave her a meaningful look. “You survived a bomb explosion. You were lucky to survive. Not only that, but you could have been akumatized as Ladybug.”  


Marinette nodded. It had been a lucky day. Lucky she wasn’t seriously hurt. Lucky that Adrien would be going back home tomorrow. Lucky that nobody died. Lucky she hadn’t been akumatized and hurt anyone.  


“Yeah, I think I’m okay.” Marinette hugged her knees. “That was…crazy. That guy, why would someone act like that?”  


“There are some dark people in the world. Some even darker than Hawkmoth,” Tikki said wisely. “Which is why the world needs people like you.”  


“I wish there were more Ladybugs in the world. I could have used the help today. I wished that Cat was there.” She hugged her knees tighter.  


“I didn’t mean Ladybug. The world needs people like you, Marinette.”  


“Me? But…I wouldn’t have been any good against that psycho, not without Ladybug.”  


Tikki sat on Marinette’s knees, their faces inches apart. “You don’t realize how scared I was that you would be akumatized. We came so close to losing everything. If Hawkmoth got you, then he would have won.”  


“Then…what happened today?”  


“You purified his corrupt powers with your feelings. It wasn’t because of Ladybug or the power of the Miraculous. It came from you. And Adrien.”  


“Our positive feelings.”  


“Yes, but not just any positive feelings. The most powerful feelings of all: Love.”  


Marinette blushed but didn’t deny it. “So, you’re saying that if I tried a different emotion like joy or happiness or courage…”  


“It may not have been strong enough; the akuma would have just turned away to find a different target,” Tikki finished. “But you purified it with your feelings of love for Adrien. And his for you.”  


Marinette blushed profusely, waving her arms around. “No, no, no. Adrien doesn’t love me. I mean, I wished he did, but that’s not what happened.”  


“I heard what he said while you were eating ice-cream,” Tikki said with a wink. “He’s obviously in love with Ladybug. The two of you together, your love was so pure, that it was able to undo Hawkmoth’s power.”  


“It almost sounds like a fairy tale.” Marinette smiled and laid down, her face still red. “Do you really think Adrien loves Ladybug?”  


“Trust me. When you get to be as old as I am, you can tell.” Tikki giggled.  


Marinette yawned, her sore muscles and bruises becoming a dull pain, her eyelids drooping. “I hope that one day, he’ll see those Ladybug attributes he admires in me.”  


Tikki smiled as she pulled a blanket over the teenager girl and turned out the lights. “I’m sure he will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very excited that I have finished this story. Normally, I am awful at posting fanfiction, taking weeks, sometimes months, to post a new chapter. I started setting aside Sunday just for fanfiction writings, and I tend to finish a chapter in a day while editing it during the week. I feel so accomplished that I stayed on schedule for my first MLB story. If you liked this one, please comment and keep an eye on me, because it won't be my last one. I am currently writing a second one which will be much longer than this one. I hope to post it next Sunday.
> 
> One thing about me is that I don't tend to write in the romance genre. I like to put in romance, but most of the time there's a lot of adventure, action, and comedy, and romance isn't my goal. But with MLB, all I've wanted to do lately is write romance and fluff, so this is new to me.
> 
> Also, I'd just like to say, I am not a big fanfiction ready. I apologize to anyone out there if my story is similar to theirs. I assure you, this is a coincidence. One of my biggest worries about writing fanfiction is that my stories aren't original or my plot has been done several times. I hope that my stories are creative and imaginative, or at least, entertaining. Thank you everyone who has read this story, given me kudos and commented. If I was a fairy, comments would be what keeps me alive.


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